Fears over WoF changes

Funding for road police to carry out more vehicle checks after changes to the WOF system will be increased but fears have surfaces that additional staff won't be hired to cover expanded road policing duties

Associate Transport Minister Simon Bridges announced yesterday drivers whose cars are less than 13-years-old will only need annual warrant of fitness checks rather than six-monthly.

New Zealand Transport Agency announced today police would receive more funding in addition to the current $300 million it's funded to cover road policing.

NZTA chief executive Geoff Dangerfield would not say how much the funding increase would be, but it's believed it will be about $5 million.

"We're intending to lift the budget there a little bit to deal with more enforcement activities from police related to this.

"A small increase would give us quite a bit of what we're looking for here.''

Mr Dangerfield said the extra funding would cover more roadside checks of things like brakes, lights and tyres.

Police Association President Greg O'Connor said the changes to the WOF system were a good compromise, but called for increased funding to be used to hire extra staff and did not want to see frontline staff seconded to the task.

Mr O'Connor said some police already carried out roadside checks of vehicles but the number of these checks would increase under the changes and would require more police officers.

He said the biggest danger was if existing staff were required to do the work and the funding wasn't used on the new policing regime.

"Every time you get a new important regime the resource invariably comes from the front line section, as long as there are extra staff to do this it will work - not just moving the deck chairs.

"Almost invariably when a new response happens in police it comes from response policing, which is the people that turn up when you need them.

"Police are pretty much stretched at every level they are at the moment.''

Mr O'Connor said not all police officers will have the skills to carry out roadside checks and extra training and equipment would be needed.